Security, Civil Liberties, and Unions

Security, Civil Liberties, and Unions

Excerpt

Unions have been and are dependent on civil liberties for their very existence. The history of our trade union movement closely parallels the history of America's civil liberties. Freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and other basic freedoms are essential to the very existence of our unions today, as much as in the past. The examples given in this pamphlet vividly illustrate this point.

Dictatorships in any form, whether Communist or Fascist, do not tolerate free trade unions. There is no freedom of political choice in the Soviet Union or any of its satellites. There are no free and independent unions. The right to strike is outlawed. There is no Magna Carta, no Bill of Rights to proclaim man's freedom and to protect it.

The insidious, conspiratorial nature of world communism makes it necessary for us in America to protect ourselves against espionage, infiltration and subversion. The Communist movement in this country does provide a breeding ground for traitors, spies and saboteurs who, with their agents and stooges, are trying hard to obtain the nation's most guarded vital secrets.

What are the best ways for us to meet this danger? We must safeguard our national security calmly and judiciously, with full regard at every step for the complete observance of the civil liberties we are striving to defend.

We need alert and vigilant counter-intelligence work plus vigorous enforcement of criminal laws. And we must maintain a realistic and effective security system, while rejecting the ways and methods of totalitarian despots in pursuing this task.